ROUNDUP

Cubs Continue to Win With Kimm

Bruce Kimm's presence has pepped up the Chicago Cubs. And not even a substitution gaffe by the interim manager could spoil the atmosphere Monday night at Chicago.

"He's always talking, he's a communicator, he's letting you know and he's fun to play for," said Todd Hundley, who hit one of three Chicago homers as the Cubs got strong pitching from Carlos Zambrano and beat the Atlanta Braves, 3-2.

Atlanta lost its third in a row. The Cubs improved to 5-1 under Kimm, including 4-0 at home.

Hundley hit a tying homer in the fifth and Alex Gonzalez followed with another homer. Mark Bellhorn also connected for the Cubs.

"The guys have a little bounce in their step. We just hope we can keep this going," said Kimm, who replaced the fired Don Baylor just before the All-Star break.

In the ninth inning, Kimm sent Darren Lewis--who had pinch-run in the eighth--to right field, meaning he had to pull Sosa off the field.

"I made a terrible mistake. It's unforgivable for a manager," Kimm said. "We were fortunate we got out of it."

Sosa came running off the field and Kimm met him at the top of the dugout to explain his mistake.

"It was a mistake. No big deal," Sosa said. "We are all human. The last thing he wanted to do was take me out of the game and he knew it."